Martyrdom of St Andrew

This work was commissioned by the chapter for the Sacristy of Compostela Cathedral. The central axis of the composition is the Martyrdom of the Apostle, which acts as a reference point for distributing the rest of the figures and directing the overhead lighting, which emanates from the figure of an angel who descends to crown Saint Andrew. On the left, there is a step on which saint Andrew sits, the person who would have condemned him to martyrdom.

The foreshortening, the dynamic postures, their expressions and the metallic sheen of the armour stand out in the group of figures, all set against a cloudy landscape, characteristic of the painter. The chiaroscuro of the figures on the lower level contrasts with the break in the sky.

The artist probably based this scene on a model by Bartolomé Esteban Murillo, now in the Prado Museum.